Search

This darkly humorous movie will make you laugh, cringe and feel just the tiniest bit better about your own life. Ass Backwards is Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion without the gloss and glam. If Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino had come from the wrong side of the tracks (and maybe had some sort of substance abuse problem), you would have Kate and Chloe.

I don’t want to oversimplify the hilarity of this movie, but if you did enjoy the trials and tribulations of Romy and Michele, and you want to see how things would go if the duo’s lives were a bit less like a fairy tale, you will enjoy Kate and Chloe’s journey in Ass Backwards. It’s a road trip movie starring two lovely ladies whose friendship is the heart of the film, and who happen to be ridiculous people. Ass Backwards is the perfect name for it, because it constantly throws the viewer for a loop. Nothing is as it seems, and so I’m hesitant to describe too much of the movie and ruin any of the magical twists and turns. I will say that an important part of a road trip is the music, and this particular road trip has stellar music in spades. In the hierarchy of things to consider before embarking on a road trip, it goes snacks > music > are you going to let people take their shoes off in your car?

June Diane Raphael (Kate) and Casey Wilson (Chloe) really can do anything. Not only did they write the movie together, but they starred in it and funded it through Kickstarter. One of the rewards offered was “Casey and June will call you every day for a week and read your horoscope to you!” Oh, how I wish I had seen this project when it was still getting funded. I will take this regret to my grave.

These two women are fast friends and it shows. Since moving to LA a few months ago, I’ve seen them at various comedy events around town. Their participation in The Realest Real Housewives at UCB, where they recreated famous Real Housewives scenes, remains one of the funniest things I have ever experienced (and I work at the Laugh Factory). Both women have been part of some of my favorite television projects. I knew Casey Wilson best from her starring role in Happy Endings, one of the most perfect shows of all time, and June Diane Raphael as the scene-stealing reality show contestant in Burning Love. I adore them both and so I was very excited when I saw there would be a screening of this movie near me. The only thing better than seeing a great movie is seeing a great movie free of charge.

I saw a screening at Outfest with a room packed full of exhausted people who had already seen multiple movies and were on their way to see more. I have never heard so much laughter in a theater. From the surprise reveal in the opening scene to the last of the credits, there was a constant stream of guffaws and snorts. After it ended, Casey and June came out for a Q&A, where they continued to be witty and the greatest. They were also very sweet when I approached them after the screening to confess my undying love. I’m currently planning the perfect road trip for the three of us.

You can rent Ass Backwards now on VOD and iTunes. You can see it in theaters starting November 8th. Oh, and did I mention Alicia Silverstone is in it? Because she is. Get to it!

If you want to help me plan my road trip with Casey and June or share your thoughts on Ass Backwards, I’m all about the Twitter: @emhig.

In the modern age of social media, celebrities can get in touch with their fans directly. Twitter is especially useful for replying to fans and Facebook makes a great place to upload behind-the-scenes pictures and exclusive videos. In exchange for the benefits we get as fans, our favorite celebrities have been given the power to ask for a little more from us. With PledgeMusic and Kickstarter, artists of all kinds can ask for help funding their projects and passions. This ranges from CDs to movies to inventions to video games. Every possible creation is represented here. What you may not know is that the fans are again the ones benefiting. They get more media from their favorite people plus they are provided with exclusive rewards for their donations!

I almost did a separate post for Cheryl Cole’s fabulous new video for her smash single “Call My Name,” but I somehow managed to control myself and wait until the new album came out so I could discuss that as well. I have previously elaborated on her fierceness in my Crash Course in Cheryl Cole but this time I’m just focusing on “A Million Lights,” her third album which is quite a departure from her first two.

First, watch the Call My Name video here without my commentary so you can get a feel for her new sound. If it takes you a little while to recover, I’ll understand.

Everyone wants to work at Chelsea Lately. That was made very clear in a soul-crushing monologue Chelsea Handler did a couple weeks ago where she mentioned that they don’t have any jobs available because no one ever leaves. I can’t blame them… it seems like an ideal work environment.

My dream job

When I met Chelsea Handler at a book signing last summer, my dad came along. I had just gotten off work and was taking the train every day so he was kind enough to pick me up and drive me to Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse – which, if you couldn’t guess, is a gay bookstore. I think Lance Bass signed books there once. It has since closed, probably because finding parking there was terrible and not because of Lance.

My dad hung out in line and was doing an acceptable job of not embarrassing me until he insisted I give Chelsea my PRSSA business card. I balked at the idea because Chelsea clearly must get zillions of interested weirdos and I didn’t want to be added to the list of individuals who are deluded enough to think Chelsea actually wants to be their pal. However, my dad made a good case: give her the card or when I got to the front of the line he’d do something so embarrassing that I might never recover. He might not have really gone through with this threat but I wasn’t taking any chances. I figured I’d slip her the card with a suave mumble and be on my way.

I watched chumps try to give her bottles of vodka and get politely rebuffed. Her patience astounded me because number one, she probably has a lifetime supply since she is the face of Belvedere, and number two I’m pretty sure every bottle offered to her had a roofie in it. Can you say “a roofie”? That seems odd when it’s singular. Or is it only a verb? Anyway. When we finally made it to the front, I shoved the card at her, mumbled something incoherent (just like I’d planned!) and she politely thanked me and handed it off to someone else.

SUCCESS

Chelsea, let me assure you, that was not the best impression I’ve ever made on a person. I am hoping we can overcome that initial awkward meeting, and here are a few reasons why….

Why didn’t the era of the girl band ever really take hold here in America? Sure, we are masters of the boy band, with Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, New Kids On the Block and other winners such as O-Town and 98 Degrees. But we lost more than we gained when we did not follow the UK’s excellent example exhibited by the Spice Girls. When the song “Wannabe” comes on, you are going to be excited and you are going to like it, this is pure fact. Somehow, though we vaguely appreciated the Spice Girls, we did not continue to follow the UK girl band music scene and because of this we missed out on what I will say is conclusively the most fun band of this or any other decade. Yes, other bands are perhaps more critically acclaimed, but none of them will get you out of your seat and having a good time like Girls Aloud does with hits such as “Biology,” “Love Machine,” and “The Promise.”

When I posted my Crash Course in Cheryl Cole, I did it partly for myself. I wanted to have something I could easily point people towards and say “Look, see, this is why you should love Cheryl!” The response was amazingly kind from Cheryl’s fan base, which has encouraged me to create a sort of follow-up, this time focused on my all-time favorite band and where Cheryl got her start, Girls Aloud. I hope to remind old fans why it’s so exciting that Girls Aloud will be reuniting, and draw in new fans who have never heard of the group. This post will also be video-heavy because that is the best way to experience them!